Saudi declares Eid al-Fitr to start on Sunday

The Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, will begin on Sunday in Saudi Arabia, authorities in the kingdom said on Friday.

“Saturday will be the last day of the sacred holy month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr will take place on Sunday,” the royal court and the supreme court said, quoted by the official Saudi Press Agency.

Religious authorities in Jerusalem, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Qatar and Lebanon also said that Eid would begin on Sunday.

The timing of Eid is determined by the position of the moon, in accordance with the Muslim lunar calendar.

The holiday is normally celebrated by families gathering together.

But most Muslim majority countries around the world have called on their citizens to limit their movement and face to face contact during this year’s celebrations, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Saudi Arabia, home to the world’s most holy Muslim sites, has put in place a full curfew for the holiday period, after easing some of its restrictive measures during Ramadan.

The kingdom is the most affected country in the Gulf, according to declared data, with more than 67,000 confirmed coronavirus infections and 364 deaths from the Covid-19 respiratory disease. (AFP)